Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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519. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide in tabular form the total amount spent per annum in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 on staff subsistence payments, staff taxi payments; if his Department has been audited for tax compliance on these payments and other benefits-in-kind; if these processes have been revised in view of concerns by the Revenue Commissioners over practices in other State bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25808/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The details of subsistence and taxi fare payments in respect of the staff of my Department, as requested by the Deputy, are set out in the following table:

These payments have not been the subject of audit by the Revenue Commissioners. All subsistence payments are made in accordance the Civil Service rates for travel and subsistence and are therefore disregarded for income tax purposes. The taxi fare payments mainly relate to travel on connection with official duties abroad, with a very small numbers of instances occurring where ICT staff complete a shift at midnight and due to these unsocial hours may avail of a taxi service. My Department endeavours to be tax compliant in all matters, including the correct tax treatment of travel and subsistence expenses.